


Hope and Despair of a Phantom Thief

by Angel_Duck_Tales_5



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Persona 5
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Drama & Romance, F/M, Humor, With a Hint of Royal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24482695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_Duck_Tales_5/pseuds/Angel_Duck_Tales_5
Summary: Things seem to be turning back to normal after The Phantom Thieves of Hearts defeated Yaldabaoth and Joker went back to his hometown...that is, until the Metaverse got revived, due to a new phenomenon that has been surging in popularity recently. Whatever the phenomenon is, the society got completely hooked on it and it's making the Shadows more corrupted than ever, so it's up to the Phantom Thieves to regroup and try to solve this mystery...and there might be a possibility of meeting unusual people along the way.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Saihara Shuichi, Kurusu Akira/Sakura Futaba
Kudos: 25





	Hope and Despair of a Phantom Thief

**Author's Note:**

> (Yup, it's a Persona 5 x Danganronpa V3 crossover story! The events take place after the story of base Persona 5, and it will lead into the story of Danganronpa V3 (with a few changes to the latter story), all while having a hint of Royal! It's also a bit of an AU where the Ultimates' talents are actually a reality and they aren't fake, just for the sake of reality TV! Although, they still have their dark pregame selves at the beginning, just to keep things interesting!)
> 
> (Also, expect some call-backs to the previous installments in their respective series and some canon divulging for the Danganronpa V3 story!)

A small light flickers in the empty black void of the dream realm... Now, this went away for a few months thanks to a certain hero...but now it came back, thanks to some...circumstances. A sudden flash of light materialized, taking away all of the darkness for a moment before disappearing...revealing a blue prison, filled with cells instead of the usual darkness.

_Oh geez, the Velvet Room came back..._

"This game doesn't seem to be quite over..." A voice called out as blue butterflies came out of nowhere and gathered around. Then they spun around, slowly forming a small female. Once the flying bugs left, she fell down onto the ground.

Then she slowly started to regain her bearings as she took a breath and steadied herself up with a large book in her arms.

"Why am I here again...?" She muttered, holding her head with one hand while holding onto an item with the other. "Something must have happened to cause this..." She perked up and straightened herself before looking to the desk in the middle of the room. "Master-" She began before noticing that absolutely no one is at the desk... How strange.

The girl's name is Lavenza and she realized that she's alone in the room that was known as Akira Kurusu's Velvet Room...

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Meanwhile, in the real world, things are quite normal in a humble hometown. Nothing much has happened there and overall, mundane days usually happen there. Not everything is as it seems though...

For example, a spirt form of Makoto Yuki, which can't be seen by others, calmly walked down the street path, thinking about the current events that has been occurring. They may seem awfully calm, but inside, they are panicking. Being a spiritual and figurative door that can prevent an evil and powerful entity from outright ending the world isn't exactly an easy job...

Then they pulled out a small notepad, which is labeled, "Personas." They wrote something about Orpheus there before putting the small book in their right pants pocket. Hmm... Something is up with this guy...

After that, they approached the bench, sat down. and listened from their MP3 player as they waited for the bus to stop at the...well, bus stop.

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And as for a certain anti-hero named Akira Kurusu?

He is...just sleeping.

Ever since the events that has happened a few months ago, Akira moved back to his hometown. The Phantom Thieves has disbanded since they thought that the Metaverse would be gone...

_Little did they know that said Metaverse is slowly getting revived._

Anyways, only Morgana came along with Akira to his hometown and ever since then, life became ordinarily boring. The lack of Phantom Thieves work made it so. And that, in turn, made Akira more lethargic. Case in point? This morning.

When the alarm rang for another morning, Akira didn't even bother to get up. He wasn't planning to do that immediately anyways. He turned the alarm off and laid back down. He's going to rest for a little while and...

_...Hey, how come he suddenly feels some pounding on his head? Did he suddenly have a headache...?_

...Nope, it's just Morgana, pouncing on the back of his head. "C'mon, sleepyhead! This isn't how the Leader of the Phantom Thieves should act!" He said in a playful tone. You know, it's rather ironic that this one cat, who had told Akira to go to sleep so many times in the past, is now anxious to wake him up. "Aren't you hungry?! C'mon! Even if you aren't, I am, and you need to feed me! C'mon, do it!"

Then he bounced off Akira's head while laughing. "Just because we stopped being Phantom Thieves, doesn't give you an excuse to be lazy!" He lectured in his confident tone. "What would the others think of you now, if they saw you just slugging around like this?!" Then he laughed again. He's a real joker, isn't he? "I will be waiting for you!" After that, he walked out of the room.

Akira groaned loudly, having none of it. "We're not the Phantom Thieves anymore, shut up..." He said. Morgana wanted Akira to feed him, but Akira knew full well that Morgana is able to do that himself. He's not an ordinary cat, after all. "You fought shadows, you can make yourself something to eat as well..." He sighed as he turned around. "I'll come as soon as I feel like it." He really does mean what he say though. He'll follow Morgana soon.

Akira spent some time on his bed, thinking about what Morgana told him. "The others..." He almost chuckled sadly. It's clear that he misses his friends here...

Then he sighed, not wanting to think about it too much. He then sat up on his bed, lazily changing his outfit. Then he got up and walked out of the room.

Morgana waited near the room door when he spotted Akira. "Finally! You're up! You need to start waking up earlier!" He said as he jumped onto a nearby chair. "Friendly advice. Sleeping too long ruins your sleeping patterns AND your food diet! It can ruin your appetite! I bet you never knew that!" He laughed, making the irony about his past habits much more apparent, as he smiled at Akira with his catlike teeth. Someone's awfully playful this morning...

"Nope, I already knew." Akira smirked while sitting down next to Morgana. He wasn't sure on what to say or do, so he ended up looking at social media instead...just like any other day. Once that didn't fix his boredom, he looked over at Morgana and said, "So, what do you wanna do today? And please, don't make me move too much, I don't feel like it." He yawned to emphasize this. Little did Akira know that something out of the ordinary is about to happen next.

"Huh...?" Morgana started to feel something familiar...a little too familiar, if you ask him.

**"P-PERSONA!!"**

He suddenly shouted. He froze when he said that, and looked at Akira. "I don't think we can just sit and be lazy today, Akira...!" He suddenly jumped down from the chair and went to run outside.

And as if it's connected (which it probably is), Akira felt a strong feeling too...! It felt strangely familiar. A floaty feeling, however not dizziness, or lightheadedness. All he could tell is that he felt it before...! It hasn't been months since he felt it. It was...strange.

Those words, Akira knew them far too well. What has gotten into that cat? "Huh? Mona, what is up with you this morn-?" Before the ravenette could finish his sentence, Morgana suddenly dashed out of Leblanc in a hurry, leaving Akira dazed and confused. "W-Wait, Mona! Get back here! I told you not to make me move too mu-!" Despite saying that, he had a feeling that these words would go in vain.

Before Akira could make it to the door, he suddenly fell to his knees and clenched his head. This feeling, it was so familiar, but he didn't know what it was. "Grk-!" Something is happening from the other end...

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Back in the Velvet Room, Lavenza looked away from the table. She needed to tell Akira about the current situation. "Inmate-" She called softly as she tried her best to contact him in the Velvet Room.

That didn't take long as she managed to summon a portal to get to him, the door spawning behind them with skylight blue color and a bright ocean hue of shine. The girl took a breath as she then took a step to the door. What would happen? She thought in a small panic, but shook her head. It was best to do it now, or she would never be able to do so again and be confronted with anxious thoughts. Besides, her master wasn't here to do so... She opened the door and saw him on the ground.

She looked almost concerned, yet composed. It must have been the sudden appearance of the Velvet Room, since it was in his dream realm. "Akira Kurusu, trickster of this warped game, please follow me back into the velvet room. I would like to speak with you." She stood next to the door, holding the book tightly. Here goes nothing...

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Before long, the painful feeling in Akira's head had faded away and he had placed his hands on the ground, breathing heavily. It took a lot out of him...but his peripheral vision had spotted a strange ocean blue hue from in front of him, the sounds of shoes slowly approaching it. He waited patiently for the figure as his head rised. He briefly wondered who this is...

Before long, a blue-dressed, yellow-eyed, and white-haired little girl had stepped towards him.

As his eyes locked with hers, a wave of emotions and thoughts rushed through his head.

'Why is she here? Is Yaldabaoth back!? Are the hearts of the public distorted again?!'

...All of that and even more had racked his brain, but in the end, his quivering lip could only muster a name.

**_"La...venza...?"_ **

Carefully and cautiously getting up from the ground, almost attracted to the door like a moth to a light, he stood in front of it as it opened by itself, eyeing Lavenza as she held her book close. "Has the game...begun anew?" He felt like he needed to know.

A soft breath escaped her lips, her moonlight eyes staring into his. She stayed patient as she saw how he seemed to be conflicted with emotions. She simply stared at him, not uttering another word. "He was going to hurt his head if he overthought..." She thought as she noticed his mouth that began to twitch and say her name.

Her head looked down, ending their little staring contest. "I do not know, but I would believe so..." She was hesitant to answer, but as an assistant of the Velvet Room, she could only assume so. She took a step into the room and went next to the desk.

...And she looked back, waiting for him to come in the room. She only wishes to speak with him in private, since he was the trickster, and it was only fair to do so since this happened so suddenly...

It was his worst fear, and Lavenza's words had likely confirmed it. Watching the blue abyss in front of him, chains floating around in the void, had sent a wave of fear and nostalgia over him. It was boring not to have any Phantom Thieves work to do, yes, but now that he was faced with the possibility of Mementos returning, he was scared...but courage was needed to be a Phantom Thief, and courage isn't about not being scared, it's about doing things even though you're scared. He took a deep breath in through his nostrils, exhaling through his mouth and holding out his arms, falling forward.

**_ "Don't hesitate." _ **

These short words left his mouth before falling into the abyss of the Velvet Room and falling for what seemed to be hours. Eventually, he had sprung awake in his cell, breathing heavily and looking through his surroundings, everything covered in a blue hue. He sat quietly with his ankle attached to the iron ball on his side, waiting for Lavenza in his black and white striped jumpsuit.

_Talk about instant nostalgia._

Lavenza gazed over, hearing his heavy breathing. He seemed almost as if he held his breath once he came in here. She saw him in the strap of the iron ball on his ankle and the torn up prisoner suit. She walked over, hearing the cluck of her shoes as she kept silence.

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

It wasn't until she reached his cell, as she looked at his scruffy hair to his bare feet, that this sound stopped entirely.

"Trickster..." She said, her eyes looking at his face now. "Are you ready to discuss our conversation of the new game?" Her voice hinted a pinch of hurt and worry. She hated to see if he would be in pain by doing this.

Akira stood up, hesitantly, hearing the sound of what were probably Lavenza's shoes tapping on the ground as she walked towards them.  
His hypothesis was quickly confirmed, it was Lavenza, after all. He sighed, hinting a small smile, he was happy to see her again, sure, but something in the air was bitter, and rightfully so.

_Something else came up, and he was scared, so, so scared._

He lived through the interrogation room, he sent Yaldabaoth back from where he came, but what if this new journey is worse? Could he handle something more worse than those things combined? And what about his friends? He was barely able to get Akechi out of his mind when he (seemingly) died, and he wasn't even his friend. He wasn't going to endure losing a friend, not now, not ever. His PTSD made sure of that.

His smile quickly disappeared, hoping that the previous smile would've been enough to let Lavenza know the sight of her was appreciated.

She got up to him, and he looked down, ready for anything. He didn't have much choice, anyway...

**_"I'm ready, Lavenza..."_ **

Lavenza looked over at Akira, noticing his brief smile, as he looked up before putting his head back down, waiting for what was to come. She clenched her book slightly in hand as she began to utter the words in a soft and calm voice...

"Inmate... A new game has arisen... An unfair game, of torture and sin. A game, of which inspires the rule of 'Kill or Be Killed.' A game that the masses only see as such, and the culprit mocks..." Lavenza looked at Akira with a stern look. "This is a grave game. A game of which cannot be tackled as easily as it once was. This game does not affect a single soul, but the world as a whole." Lavenza then kneeled down onto the ground. "I ask of you to save us once more, for the sake of the world's future and the ones involved in this game... Please, end this terrible game and save the ones broken, and distorted. We must not let the victims stay unheard." She sighed, and waited for Akira's response, as she kept gripping her book in anticipation.

_Akira listened, but maybe he shouldn't have..._

His heart sank. So he was right... This time, it was going to be much, much harder. He exhaled with a shaky breath, trying to calm himself down. He looked cool and unfazed on the outside often, but after all, he was a person, and a person can be scared. Pretty much everyone has their own personas.

Akira could do nothing but nod, leaning towards the bars. "T-Tell me more, what do I need to do...?" Those words struggled to get out of his mouth, but he had to force them out.

_"Come on, Akira. You need to be brave."_

He thought, trying to give himself some courage. He didn't feel ready for what he was about to hear, but he had to listen.

"Corrupted Personas...have been created." The calm and collected voice she once had, shattered in that second. She had a hard time bringing the words out, without horribly stuttering. She then got back onto her feet. "I may end up splitting once again, however... Only time will tell... " She looked down at the ground for a moment, then back up. "Your rehabilitation has been reinstated, and shall be brought to your attention." She smiled a bit. "Be careful, inmate... This will be a bumpy ride..." She lowered her head. "Go back to your world at once... You shall begin with one person who is closest to you." She said, with a bit of dread in her voice. She then went over to the desk, where her Master used to sit. "I will be waiting, inmate..."

Akira stood silent during her speech. Corrupt Personas...? Whatever she meant, she seemed to be bothered by those words. He sensed that wasn't gonna end well. "I'll be safe." Those words of his sounded bitter, almost angry. He was just nervous, way too much. He watched Lavenza sit at Igor's desk, then he ended up passing out a few seconds later.

He woke up in his home, bringing a strong headache with him. He sighed, standing up, not sure on what to do now.

Morgana was pawing his face and head hard when he woke up. "Stop sleeping on the floor! We have stuff to do! Do I need to drag you out?!" Morgana hissed at him loudly. He kept pawing at him, keeping up the trend of repeatedly attempting to wake Akira up, then noticed he was awake. "Oh, there you are!" He finally stopped and looked around for a moment, then jumped onto a chair.

"Ughh... My face feels fuzzy and hurts all over..." Akira clenched his head, keeping it still as he waited for his headache to go away and watched as Mona hopped onto the chair to face him, walking over and rubbing his eyes. "Mona, why the hell'd you storm out like that...and why did you yell out 'PERSONA!'? The Metaverse is...wait..." A moment of realization hits him after he thought about the conversation he just had with Lavenza.

Morgana looked away for a second. "It's back." He looked at Akira again. "WE NEED TO HURRY! Someone is in trouble!" Morgana jumped right onto his shoulder. "No time to waste! We have to save someone!" He hit his face all of a sudden. "Stop wasting time, and GO!" He pressured Akira like crazy. "If we don't hurry, they might die!" Well, that was sudden and a tad overdramatic.

Before being able to finish his train of thought, Akira was suddenly hit hard on the face by Mona as he screamed at him to rush out the door, which he reluctantly obliged to. "Jeez, what the hell is up with you today!?" Akira put his hands in his pockets, looking around frantically, not even knowing where to go. "Who might die?! What's going on!?" He demanded, unintentionally being a surrogate audience at the moment.

Morgana jumped off his shoulder and bolted to the left and around a corner. He did not even waver. He was so focused on running that he literally turned the corner like it's absolutely nothing. He was determined to get there on time.

Akira watched in disbelief as Mona ran off, sharply turning left around a corner. Akira wanted to get answers from Mona, but he was afraid as though that asking him anything now would be useless...so he ran after him, eventually catching up. "Where are they?!"

Morgana made a sharp paw gesture, indicating something in front of them. He did it so violently, his body jumped a bit. He then ran toward a big van, where audible yelling could be heard. Again, he ran at extreme speeds.

Looking down at his feline friend bolting at almost superhuman speeds, he saw that they just needed to keep running forward. Mona obviously was in a hurry to do something, but Akira wasn't sure what...until he heard the faint cries of help from a girl around his age. "Wha...?"

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As the blond girl tried to fight back against the two men trying to kidnap her, it felt as though she was completely overpowered, no matter how hard she thrashed around and tried to get her arms free. "H-Hey, someone, anyone, help!" But nobody came to her rescue. She guessed that was just how messed up society had become...until faint footsteps kept rushing towards her. Her hope in humanity might be possibly restored yet...

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Getting closer to the girl yelling about, Akira looked down at his cat and snapped his fingers, trying to get his attention as they ran. "What do we do?!"

"I have a plan!" Morgana yelled, as suddenly, he jumped up, grabbed onto one of the guy's backs, rushing up, and grabbing ahold of their hair, literally pulling them back, forcing the man to let go and stumble back. He looked at Akira while doing so, hoping he knew what to do next.

As Mona had pulled on one of the men's head and pulled them away from the blond girl, she punched the other one in the face with her free hand and broke their glasses, causing glass to get into their eyes and stumble back. Geez, talk about a harsh repercussion...

Akira followed up with a running start and a kick to the man that Mona held back, then dashed to the other captor and grabbed their shoulders to kneeing them in the stomach, punching them and sending them to the ground.

"Haa...haa..." He breathed heavily as he pulled out his phone, opening his phone and putting Sae Niijima on speed dial. "I have connections...! You're going to be in serious trouble...!" He cried out, threatening to sue these two men.

Morgana jumped away from them and jumped on Akira's shoulders. He watched the blonde to see what she'd do next, while Akira called Sae. He also watched the other two, just in case they tried to get up and attack them.

The man with broken glasses was about to charge forward, but the other captor had put an arm out, as to stop him, and shook his head 'no'. Sounds like a job well-done for the heroes!

The two then quickly ran away from the trio as Akira is about to finish calling Sae, standing close to the would-have-been hostage.

_...Welp, they escaped. At least they saved a hostage though._

As he finished his call (after he told her that they just escaped), he hung up and put a hand on Kaede's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm very sorry you had to bear through that... Are you okay?" He asked her. "Y-Yeah...I might be a bit bruised, but it's no big deal.." She rubbed her eyes as she said that, staring at the ground and sighing.

Morgana looked at Akira and "meowed" into his ear. "I sense potential in this girl. Also... She seems familiar." He looked back over to the girl, then jumped over to her, and studied her a bit, tilting his head from side to side. Perhaps he's studying how much rebellion the girl has?

"Familiar? How so?" Akira asked as he put his fist up to his chin in thought, closing his eyes to concentrate. Although he couldn't see it, the blonde stared at him as though he had 5 heads, sweating nervously with a forced smile.

"Uhhm... D-Did you just talk to your cat?" Unable to get a response out of him, she noticed a small black and white cat examining her as she crouched down to pet it. "Awww, you're a cute little one, ain't ya?"

Morgana was gonna try to move away, but he didn't do that, just to be nice, then he looked at Akira. "Kaede Akamatsu." He said, before he looked back at her. "I remember seeing a piano performance of her on TV."

Kaede Akamatsu?! SHE was the one who almost got kidnapped by those unknown strangers? Akira half-expected her to be surrounded by bodyguards due to her status as an Ultimate, but nevertheless looked up at Kaede and smiled, putting out a hand for her to shake. "I'm Akira Kurusu. Nice to meet you, Akamatsu-chan." Kaede looked up while she crouched and she reached out her hand to shake it, smiling at him a bit.

Morgana jumped back onto Akira's shoulder, meowing once again. "What should we do now? We saved her, thank goodness." He smiled, and waited for his response, while scratching his ear.

"Well... Something somehow drew her to you, right? I think that's enough to show that she's got potential... Should we try it?" He whispered to Mona, scratching his ear for him as Kaede held her head in confusion. "Seriously, does it talk or...?" Of course, Kaede was joking, but she'd see soon enough that she was right on the money. Morgana sure can't wait to see her reaction once she inevitably finds out.

Morgana nodded, then looked at Kaede. "C'mon, let's do this! Let's find an empty alley to do this." He said as he was being scratched, and then jumped off Akira's shoulder to find a suitable place. It took him a bit, but soon he would find one. Hopefully, Akira would have gotten Kaede to follow him.

As for Akira...

He watched as Mona went off to search for a safe place to talk, holding the back of his neck nervously and laughing. "Sorry, I'm pretty weird, huh...?" He said with a weary smile. Kaede shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, smiling at Akira as her lavender eyes shined. "Nah, it's all good. It adds a bit of personality to yourself, like how surreal 'Rothko Chappel' by Morton Feldman is!" She just loved using musical analogies, didn't she? Not to mention that she also seems to love giving out some inspiring advice.

Morgana found a spot, then ran back, tugging on Akira's clothes, before going off to run back where he was, but a bit slower this time, so they could catch up.

Akira turned around to see who pulled on his pants, seeing his cat run back to his spot and grabbing Kaede's arm. "H-Hey, what are you-!?" Kaede was about to retaliate before Akira nodded at her with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Kaede, I need you for this. I won't hurt you..." Akira actually seemed to be taking Kaede somewhere safe, so she nodded reluctantly and let herself be dragged around by Akira and his cat.

Morgana raced into the alleyway, and then started speaking to Akira. Of course, all Kaede heard was repetitive meowing. "Alright! I already sense great power in her! Let's show her the phone, and how the MetaNav works, before we go diving in. I'm curious how she would react to our explanation, first of all. Plus, we don't need another freak-out incident. Even if she doesn't believe us, she'll believe it soon!" He stood on his legs out of excitement for a moment. "Let's do it!"

Akira let go of Kaede and crouched down to face his cat, tilting his head. It'll be a bit hard...no, VERY HARD...to talk to Kaede about the Metaverse, but Akira had high hopes that she'd understand sooner or later. "Right, let's show her the app." Akira replied to Mona. Of course, Kaede was tired of Akira not answering her questions about the cat, so she bluntly stated what was on her mind.

"Seriously, do you have a translator? How do you understand the little guy?" She asked, a slight hint of annoyance in her voice. She swore that this question will never leave her mind until it gets answered. Akira shook his head and reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone and unlocking it. As he showed the phone to Kaede, her eyes immediately looked closely to the red and black application... She felt as though it had a menacing aura.

Morgana waited paitently for Akira to explain. "C'mon, Akira. Don't make this harder than it is. And it's obvious I can't do it." He jumped onto his shoulder.

_Welp, here goes._

"...This is the Metaverse Navigator." Akira explained to Kaede as Mona jumped onto his shoulder, tilting her head. "Metaverse? Is that like...a game or something?" She asked. Although it was fun going into Mementos, their lives were only, I don't know, IN GRAVE PERIL. Therefore, it's not a game, but for the sake of Kaede not ditching the pair immediately, he quickly continued to explain. "We need 3 keywords to enter. A person or a group of people, their Palace, and their evil lifestyles." Akira nodded as he stated this, looking over at the Ultimate Pianist, who was...completely oblivious and confused.

Morgana hit Akira on the head. Something tells him that he messed up. "Person, place, and distortion, dummy!" He scowled a bit at him, and then returned to look at Akira, laughing a bit, apparently trying to be the most mischievous cat in the world.

"Wh-Wha? I don't exactly think I'm following you..." Kaede shook her head, giving a slightly sympathetic smile. Akira felt Mona's hit, which didn't really hurt, but was enough to get his attention. "O-Oh! Right!" Kaede had given up trying to ask Akira about his 'talking cat', so she just listened to him and crossed her arms. Okay, so this question is starting to leave her mind, after all. "Think of it as...a person, a place, and what they think that place is." Akira explained.

He put his finger up in thought and began to speak a bit more. "Like for me, it would say...'Akira Kurusu, Café Leblanc,' and then what I think Leblanc is for me. Makes a bit more sense, right?" The ravenette asked the lavender-eyed girl. "I guess so..." She responded.

Morgana jumped down and walked a bit further into the alleyway. "Follow me." He went to the back. "We need to figure out a place to bring her." He said as he jumped onto a box, which was in the back of the alleyway. He sighed. "But...where...?" The cat wondered. He looked at Akira, hoping he may have an idea.

Again? This cat could just not make up his mind now, could he? Akira puts his hands in his pockets and decided to follow his feline companion, signaling Kaede to follow the duo, which she did. After reaching the back, Akira darted his eyes around to look for a safe place to bring the Ultimate Pianist... He might have an idea where.

"How about...over there?" Akira pointed towards a nearby subway station, almost a few feet directly in front of him... If Mementos truly was back, this would be the place to check. "The subway? Are you...gonna take me home?" Kaede asked, tilting her head to the side. "If I wanted to do that, I would've simply told you subway directions and that's it." He took off his glasses and put them in his pockets, sighing.

Morgana laughed and ran down into the subway and waited for the other two to arrive. He jumped onto a bench nearby, and sang "Alleyway", as they waited. Morgana must have an ear for stylish music...

He smirked a cat-like smirk, as he did, while humming as well as singing. He was ready to finally be able to speak for real, once again. He started running around, while he waited for them to be ready.

Kaede watched as the kitty ran off on his own (yet again) to the subway station, looking at the now unglassed teen. "He likes to go off on his own, doesn't he?" She observed. Akira responded by simply uncomfortably groaning and rubbing his eyes, walking over to the station. Kaede soon realized he was going off on his own as well, and followed him as they waded through the crowd. Eventually, they escaped the crowd and got to Mona, both breathing heavily.

Kaede brushed off her skirt and held her tie, groaning a bit. "Man... I thought we were gonna suffocate in there. Good thing nothing got hur- Wait a minute... Akira, are you wearing my backpack?" Akira, still wearing his Shujin Academy outfit through force of habit, looked over to her to see his bag on her shoulder. "I could ask you the same question..." He said. They were both probably wondering how the heck this could have happened. Did they accidentally pick up each other's backpacks...?

Although, in reality, Morgana, that joker of a cat, switched their backpacks around without them even realizing it until now.

"That's hilarious." Morgana stopped singing, and looked at the two. "Are we playing bagswap now?" He said, making fun of the two, before he went back to singing, this time singing "Last Surprise" (his favorite song) while jumping around, due to the boredom of waiting. He wanted to kick some Shadow butt! He watched the two, as they got ready.

Quickly setting both of their bags down, Akira and Kaede had their belongings return to themselves as Akira pulled out his phone...

_Last Surprise, huh?_

Hearing Mona sing that brought back some good memories of Mementos (implying that Mona sang that every time they got into ANY battle with common enemies), and with its return, he was likely to make new ones...though, the 'corrupted Personas' Lavenza spoke of threw him off a bit. What did she mean...?

"Uhhh, Akira? You look like you just saw a ghost or something." Kaede asked, putting a hand on his shoulder and patting his back, snapping him back into reality as he turned to her. "What you're going to see is going to be the craziest thing you've ever seen...but you have to promise me not to freak out. Okay?" Akira stated, his thumb hovering over the Metaverse Navigator app.

"H-Huh? What do you mean...?"

"Akamatsu-Chan, I need you to work with me here... Do you, or do you not, promise to stay by my side no matter what crazy stuff may happen here in the Metaverse?"

His voice was demanding, yet somehow calm and collected at the same time. "...Okay, I promise." Kaede stated, smiling softly. At that very moment, Akira opened the app.

**"Beginning navigation."**

As Morgana heard that, he jumped over to Akira's shoulder, ready to go! He excitedly meowed, this time actually meowing, and watched as the world changed around them. Everything became red, and a strange aura washed over everyone, as things changed. Of course, Akira and Mona knew the feeling well, but Kaede? She had never felt such a strange feeling before.

Kaede watched as her surroundings changed, getting shivers up her spine and falling over as the surroundings began to fade and shape into new areas. "Wh-What's happening!?" She shouted at Akira as he walked over and let out a hand for her to grab onto, closing his eyes. "It's okay, Akamatsu-chan... It's okay." He slowly said as Mementos began to form. Following Akira, she shut her eyes closed and grabbed his hand, waiting. "..."

_Soon, the world transformed into a mental reality of Mementos..._

Mona looked at the two, as it started to finish. "You two would make a cute couple." He said, apparently going into shipper mode. They both heard the voice, Akira always recognizing this voice, while Kaede heard it for the first time. "Hehe!" He laughed as Mementos had finally formed around them. "So, now what?" He asked. He was now in his humanoid form. "Are we gonna trash some Shadows?"

"Sh-Shut up..." They both stated in unison, responding to Morgana's shipping comment. Then Kaede opened her eyes in shock.

"W-Wait, who said that?" Kaede asked as she darted her head around. Although Akira's grip on Kaede hadn't changed, she noticed that her hands felt something a bit more...rubbery. As the aura went away, Kaede slowly opened her eyes and looked around, hearing the sounds of nearby trains and low groans. "Wh-What is this place..?!" She let go of Akira and walked a bit forward, looking on in both awe and fear.

"Mementos. Enjoy your stay." Joker (Akira's Phantom Thief alter-ego) replied to her, half-joking. It's rather fitting since he's now Joker. Her eyes looked over the ravenette as he dawned a new black leather coat, shoes, and red gloves. "Akira...?" She asked, to which he nodded in response. Kaede slowly approached the teen and smiled at him. "It's a nice look on you...somehow."

Kaede wanted to ask him more about their location, but was quickly caught off-guard by the...strange cat-like monster next to him. Her eyes widened in fear a bit as she hid next to Joker. "What is that...!?"

"Hey! What about me?!" Morgana said as he smirked and posed. "I missed this body." He danced around a bit, before walking over to Kaede. "Nice to meet ya!"

"AAAAAAHHHH! I-It talked! I don't see any zippers on it or anything! Is it a robot!?" Kaede fell over in fear and tried moving away on the ground, to which Joker walked over to her and helped her up, holding her shoulder. "Akamatsu-chan, it's okay! It's okay... Let me explain. That cat you saw with me earlier? That's Morgana...and no, he's not a robot. He's very much real." Morgana added with, "And I'm not a cat either! Make sure you remember that!" Joker gave Morgana quite a glance before looking back at Kaede.

Kaede's entire body shook in fear and confusion as she stood and stared at the feline humanoid.

Mona scratched his head a bit. "I've never seen someone freak out so much over me..." He said, before looking away for a moment. "Hm... I guess it's fine." He looked back. "So, what now, Joker?"

"W-Will he bite or scratch m-me..?" Kaede asked the ravenette, shaking his head 'no' in response. She looked down at Morgana once more and gulped, slowly bending down to pet him. "..." Joker put a finger to his chin in thought and looked around. "Well first, we need to calm Akamatsu-chan down. If she freaks out like this when we go further below, we'll be swarmed with Shadows." He stated.

Mona lets her pet him, just to be friendly, and he hoped that it helped calm her down. He smiled at her. "It's alright, Kaede. We are all friends here." He looked at Joker. "Shall we?"

Seeing Mona letting himself be petted by her, Kaede's worried face slowly managed to turn into a smile. "Well, he is still pretty cute." She laughed to herself, lightly kissing the cat-like humanoid on the head, which Joker looked at her sideways in response. "S-Sorry... I normally do that with most pets." Kaede explained, which Joker shrugged off and tried to remember the layout to Mementos, deciding which area to go first. "Hmm..."

Mona blushed a bit at that, before backing away a bit. "Um... Any ideas, Joker...?" He watched and waited, walking in circles, a bit flustered. "C'mon, Joker!!" He said. He seemed to be in a hurry, for some reason...

"Path of Akzeriyyuth, floor 5, please." Joker stated to Mona, Kaede slowly getting up to stand while turning towards Joker with closed eyes. "Path of...huh?" She asked. "You'll see what I mean later." Joker softly held onto Kaede's arm as they began to walk down to Mementos.

"Alright, time for my famous magic trick!" Mona ran out to the tracks, and then suddenly jumped super high into the air. The next thing you know, with a poof of smoke, Morgana has transformed into a BUS!

"H-Hey!" Joker walked a bit faster with Kaede, heading down to the tracks just before Mona turned into a bus. After the smoke had cleared, Kaede looked at where Mona was supposed to be, and in his place, she saw...a bus. She passed out into Akira's arms not too long after that. "W-Woah! You think that surprised her a bit...?" Joker questioned.

"A bit...? She passed out! Hah!" Mona laughed a bit. Well, to be fair, it's not every day that you get to see a humanoid cat transform into a car. "Bring her in." He waited.

"Right..." Joker obliged to Morgana's request and walked towards the passenger door, opening it and propping Kaede into a sitting position. Being the responsible teen he was, he made sure to buckle her in with seatbelts before shutting the door and moving over to the driver's seat door, opening it, getting inside, buckling himself in, and shutting the door next to him. "Alright, should we wake her up first?" Joker asked.

"Whatever floats your boat!" Mona replied, vrooming a bit, and singing "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There", waiting for them to go. Geez, how many stylish music tracks does Morgana know...?

"Hmm... Alright then." Joker leaned backwards in his seat and snapped his fingers at Kaede, waking her up slowly. She yawned and rubbed her eyes with her right pointer finger, looking at Joker at the steering wheel. "The cat...turned into a car?" She questioned. Joker didn't move for a bit, looking around the feline's interior and feeling the familiar comfort of the seats. "Yep, just how I remember it." Not knowing how to react, Kaede shook her head and laughed, staring at Joker.

The engine's purring sound roared a bit, as Mona was hyped to start a new adventure! "Hey, Kaede! I hope you enjoy your ride! Myehehehehe!" Oh boy...

Hearing the purr of the engine, Kaede grabbed onto the bottom of her seat, nodding her head rapidly. "I'll try to...uhh..." "Call him Mona. My codename is Joker." Joker responded, pointing to himself with his thumb and smirking.

_Codenames? Why did they need codenames, of all things?_

Kaede thought with curiosity. "Codenames? You're taking this a lot less seriously than I expected..." She sighed.

"It's to protect our identities. Plus, if we used our real names, then it wouldn't be any fun!" Joker said as he held onto the steering wheel with his right shoe on the gas pedal, suddenly pressing down on it and making the engine roar as they began to ride into the depths of Mementos. "Time to bust my moves!" Even saying this gave Joker a burst of nostalgia, since he said this back when he and his Phantom Thieves teammates first rode the Mona Bus.

The two Phantom Thieves and Kaede rode off towards the area of Joker's choosing...

As Joker finally made it to floor 5 of Akzeriyyuth, he suddenly stopped the car, turning towards Kaede, who had been almost half-asleep in the backseat. "We're here, but don't get out of the car." He stated. Kaede's eyes fluttered open as she looked around. "H-Huh? Why not?" She asked while yawning, her hand covering her mouth. Akira had been wondering about the Shadows the whole time, not really seeing any since they took a few shortcuts to get there quicker. "Mona, do you want to tell her, or should I?"

"I guess I could, now that I can. You would probably screw it up, anyway." He laughed. Mona, you little savage cat... "Alright... So... Kaede. There are enemies here, in Mementos. They are called Shadows. They are cognitive beings that show a distorted person's true self... When we defeat them, that can bring a change of heart to them." He chuckled a bit. "But, there is another enemy type too." Mona thought for a moment. "They are a bit harder to explain... They are also like Shadows, however... That can be explained later, once everything else is explained." He sighed. "Ready, Joker?"

"I would not have gotten it wrong...but, he's right. Shadows are very dangerous enemies, and only we know how to fight them. Promise to always stay behind us, okay?" Joker politely asked Kaede, slightly worried for her safety. It was strange, for he had just met Kaede a little while ago, yet he was getting a bit attached to her. Ah, well. He felt the same way whenever he started a confidant link with a trustworthy person.

He couldn't quite know if she felt the same, though. "O-Okay... I trust you guys." Kaede nodded and smiled, closing her eyes again as Joker pressed forward on the pedal, slightly concerned about the "other enemy" Mona had described.

They continued on, until they found their first Shadow...

Joker suddenly stopped the car, hearing a low growling from nearby, as well as stomps that made the ground shake. "There's that sound again! What is it...!?" Kaede asked, suddenly springing awake. Joker rubbed his head, groaning. "Dammit... It's a Shadow. A Jack Frost too." Joker decided to not use his weapons during this fight, and instead just use his Personas. Besides, it would've been better to show Kaede. "Hey Mona...it's our first Shadow coming back. Is Mercurius ready?" Joker asked Mona.

"I guess so... So, you want me to fight with you?" He asked, while being cautious. "Will Kaede be alright?"

"Yeah, I want you to fight by my side, Mona. And I'm sure Kaede will be alright..." Joker stated, while the blonde girl rubbed her shoulder nervously. "I promised to get behind you guys and I'll see that through. I probably couldn't fight a monster like that anyways..." Kaede lamented.

"Alright, then..." Mona said in a reluctant way. "Step out so we can begin!" He waited for them both to get out. Once they did, he transformed back to his humanoid cat-like form. He looked at a Jack Frost that was there.

Joker quickly stood his ground, as did Kaede, getting behind Joker and peering over his shoulder. As the Shadow finally ran out and stomped firmly on the ground, it roared and raised its fist, making Kaede shake in fright. "Th-That's a Shadow!? I-It looks kinda cute, but it looks like it want to fight... How do you fight it!?" Kaede asked Joker in a crazed manner, making Joker clench the mask on his face with two fingers. "It's a little something that we like to call...Persona." He stated cooly.

Mona nodded, then got into his fighting pose. "Shall we?" He said confidently, as he summoned his Persona. "Mercurius!" He shouted as his Persona appeared. "It's time to show our stuff!" He grinned wildly, as he awaited for his leader to summon and guide them to swift victory!

Facing Jack Frost with a huge grin on his face, Joker smirked as his mask came flying off of him.

**"PERSONA!!"**

He cried out, as one of his many Personas was revealed...

**THOR**

Level 68

List of attacks:

_Ziodyne_   
_Maziodyne_   
_Megaton Raid_   
_High Counter_   
_Elec Amp_   
_Heat Up_

As the God of Thunder appeared next to Joker and planted his hammer firmly on the ground, Joker watched Jack Frost closely as it unleashed a cutesy, but threatening roar. Let the games begin.


End file.
